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Downers Grove, IL —
In the movie “Whip It,” Ellen Page stars as a teenager who stumbles upon the sport of roller derby, depicted as a fringe sport in the film.
It’s easy to see the movie is a work of fiction because roller derby is anything but a fringe sport. These days, women of all ages are flocking to the sport that combines speed, skill and plenty of bodily contact.
“We used to have attendance problems at first,” said Glen Ellyn resident and Brookfield native Adrienne Michalek, who goes by the derby moniker Ruff McGruff. “Now it’s like we almost have too many people at practice. We usually have a packed house.”
Michalek competes for the Divas de las Muertas of the Aurora 88s league, based out of the Aurora Skate Center, but that isn’t the only option for those interested in joining or watching roller derby. The 88s league supports two other teams, the Glamazons and Hard Core Corruption, and the DuPage Derby Dames are yet another league that operates out the Coachlite Skate Center in Roselle.
“Roller derby has definitely increased in popularity over recent years,” Derby Dames founder and president Megan Rosenberg said. “It has been seen more and more in popular culture after the release of “Whip It.” Recently, Suzy Hotrod from the Gotham Girls Roller Derby was featured in ESPN magazine’s body issue. Roller derby has been featured on many TV shows, as well. There are now over 1,000 leagues worldwide and the number grows every day.”
The Derby Dames, who first started skating in May of 2010, boast several players from the suburbs and compete against teams from across Illinois as well as Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin.
One reason why derby interest is growing is because nearly anyone can participate. Teams will train potential skaters, and about the only stipulation to join is that one must be age 18 or older.
“There’s a huge age range,” said Christy Famatid, known as Devilish Daisy for the Divas of the 88s league. “Nobody really knows exactly how old everybody else is, and it doesn’t really matter what age you are. Everyone seems to get along even though there is an age difference.”
There isn’t a huge time commitment, either. The teams in the 88s league practice two times a week for two-and-a-half hours, and matches occur about once a month. All told, skaters devote maybe 15 hours a month to derby events. It also gives women another athletic option — one much different than tennis, volleyball or beer league softball.
In the movie “Whip It,” Ellen Page stars as a teenager who stumbles upon the sport of roller derby, depicted as a fringe sport in the film.
It’s easy to see the movie is a work of fiction because roller derby is anything but a fringe sport. These days, women of all ages are flocking to the sport that combines speed, skill and plenty of bodily contact.
“We used to have attendance problems at first,” said Glen Ellyn resident and Brookfield native Adrienne Michalek, who goes by the derby moniker Ruff McGruff. “Now it’s like we almost have too many people at practice. We usually have a packed house.”
Michalek competes for the Divas de las Muertas of the Aurora 88s league, based out of the Aurora Skate Center, but that isn’t the only option for those interested in joining or watching roller derby. The 88s league supports two other teams, the Glamazons and Hard Core Corruption, and the DuPage Derby Dames are yet another league that operates out the Coachlite Skate Center in Roselle.
“Roller derby has definitely increased in popularity over recent years,” Derby Dames founder and president Megan Rosenberg said. “It has been seen more and more in popular culture after the release of “Whip It.” Recently, Suzy Hotrod from the Gotham Girls Roller Derby was featured in ESPN magazine’s body issue. Roller derby has been featured on many TV shows, as well. There are now over 1,000 leagues worldwide and the number grows every day.”
The Derby Dames, who first started skating in May of 2010, boast several players from the suburbs and compete against teams from across Illinois as well as Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin.
One reason why derby interest is growing is because nearly anyone can participate. Teams will train potential skaters, and about the only stipulation to join is that one must be age 18 or older.
“There’s a huge age range,” said Christy Famatid, known as Devilish Daisy for the Divas of the 88s league. “Nobody really knows exactly how old everybody else is, and it doesn’t really matter what age you are. Everyone seems to get along even though there is an age difference.”
There isn’t a huge time commitment, either. The teams in the 88s league practice two times a week for two-and-a-half hours, and matches occur about once a month. All told, skaters devote maybe 15 hours a month to derby events. It also gives women another athletic option — one much different than tennis, volleyball or beer league softball.
“I like how aggressive it is, but at the same time it’s a feminine sport,” said Lauren Kurtyak, a.k.a. Dita D’Stroia, president of the Aurora 88s league.
“It’s something different, a little more rough,” Famatid said. “I wanted something where I could let off my aggression.”
For 88s league members as well as the Derby Dames, the sports is also a charitable event. While tickets to 88s bouts cost $10 in advance ($12 at the door) and they draw around 300 fans per match, most of that money filters right back out the door. Skaters pay dues to participate, and the money earned from ticket sales goes toward paying for chair rental, facility rental and promotions. Some goes back to the league to help keep it up and running, and the rest goes to area charities. Skaters don’t bring home paychecks for being in the derby.
The money flow is similar for the Deby Dames, who charge $10 per bout at the door. They have a promotion on their website where fans can get tickets for all seven home bouts for $60.
“Our highest attendance was over 550 at our season opener on Jan. 7,” Rosenberg said. “All the income goes back into the league to help us put on more bouts and get the best training available for our skaters. We also donate to local charities because we are committed to giving back to our community.”
The sport is growing nationwide and is even crossing international borders.
The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, which bills itself as the international governing body of roller derby, has teams and leagues in Rockford (the Rockford Rage) and Chicago (The Chicago Outfit and Windy City Rollers), just a few of the more than 130 teams and leagues listed on the WFTDA website. The same website lists teams and leagues from Canada to Australia.
“I see roller derby continuing to grow and entering the mainstream more and more,” Rosenberg said. “It’s hard to say how exactly, but I hope roller derby can become more recognized as a sport with more coverage on ESPN. As far as more teams coming to the area, I can only hope the teams we already have continue to grow.”
Kurtyak and the 88s hope to chart a similar growth pattern.
“I’d like to see another team in our league,” Kurtyak said. “The only problem with that would be finding space for a fourth team, but I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes and competing against other teams.”
